What Are the Different Nurse Specialties?

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With an registered nurse license, a nurse can work in medical specialties including surgical, emergency, pediatric or geriatric nursing. Nurses also can work in schools and camps. Advanced practice licenses allow nurses to take on additional responsibility and patient oversight. DiscoverNursing.com lists more than 104 nursing specialties.

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An RN with a bachelor's degree can work in any hospital, outpatient clinic or other doctor's office and is qualified to work in any medical specialty. These specialties include, but are not limited to, surgical nursing, critical care, emergency nursing, pediatrics and geriatrics. An RN can also work in the community in home health, at a school or camp, or as a flight/transport nurse. Other community nursing positions are available in mental health, rehabilitation or correctional facilities. Nurses can work as educators, training other medical staff or working in patient and family education.

A nurse with a more advanced degree and license can work in an advanced practice field. This includes work as a nurse practitioner, a nurse anesthetist or a clinical nurse specialist. These nursing positions allow more responsibility than a typical nursing position, such as the ability to diagnose medical conditions and prescribe medication. This type of licensing typically requires a master's degree as well as additional training in a specialty.